Full fashioned knitting machine



July 7, 1931. K. HOWIE FULL FASHIONED KNITTING MACHINE File-d Nov.

9. 1929 '5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Nov. 9. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 7, 1931. K. HowlE I 1,813,163

FULL FASHIONED KNITTING'MACHINE f Filed Nov. 9. 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FOR M46I/671e HRA ks In uenor:

Kenn elia Jzfowje,

Patented July 7,- 1931 UNIrED STATES PATENT OFFICE KENNETH HOWIE, F N ORRISTOWNfPENNSY-LVANIA, .'ASSIGNOR T0 WILDMAN MFG. v CO., OFNORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVAN'IA.`

FULL FAsHIoNED KNITTING MACHINE Application filed November 9, 1929-. Serial No. 405,967.

The invention relates to control'mechanism for full fashioned knitting machines wheret by the operator can quickly'advance themachine to -theapproximate pointdesired for inspection or manipulation of the knitting elements, and thereafter obtain the exact point desired in the revolution of the machine by turning the machine over by hand, should it not have stopped in the first instance at the precise point desired.

ln carrying out the invention, I employ an automatic brake which instantly arrests'the machine as a consequence of. and when the power is t-urned oil from the driving motor at normal production speeds, together with'Y means for releasing said brake and holding the same released while the machine is being turned slowly over by hand.

I prefer to use an electro-magnetic brake which, as soon as the current is turned off from the driving motor,while running at normal. high speed, will quickly arrest the machine, because of the current also having been cut 0H from said brake at the same time and as a consequence of the power having been turned off from the motor. The machine at this stage in the manipulation, we will suppose, has been brought approximately but not quite -to the desired point in its sequence of operations, and for bringing it to the exact point resort is had tohand power operated means, such as the usual hand wheels disposed at various points along'the machine front. To enable these hand wheels to .be used for turning the machine over, means are provided whereby the brake will be released so that the machine is free to be turned over. This releasing means con-v sistsin manually operable devices accessible to the operator at various points along the machine front, which, when operated from .any f said points, release the brake so that 'the exact point may be obtained by operatby hand. Provision is made by which, after the operator has turned the machine over by hand to the desired point,` he can set theA brake by a hand operation so that the machine will be held at said desired point while he is inspecting the work, the knit-ting elements, or is making repairs or renewal of parts. v

Further provision is made by which the manually operable brake controlling means will-be restored to its normal or inactive position when the high speed controlling` means is set in position for causing the machine to be driven 'at normal high speed.

In the use of manually operable connections for throwing the power on and off from the motor at high speed, and at the same time re'- leasing and setting the brake res ectively as a consequence of said actions, t e operator can turn the machine over at high speed to approximately the desired point either by a continuous movement or by a series of short quick steps, or such short quick steps may follow a continuous operation which brings the machine to near the desired point in its operation, the short quick steps resulting in bringing the machine either to the exact point desired or a nearer approach thereto than the continuous movement mentioned,

'and thereafter the manually operable slow speed can bev used, if desired. The short quick steps are obtained by manipulating manually operable devices, such as handles, disposed along themachine front, a number of times, the periods of operation being short,

the brake-of course also acting by a succession of short quick arresting and releasing movements.

This invention is a modification as to some of its features of that disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States granted to me April 15, 1930, Numbers 1,754,680 and 1,7 54,681 and like in the forms therein disclosed, one object is to relieve the operator of excessive labor of turning the machine over by hand, and at the same time enabling him to bring the machine to the desired point, or approximately to the desired point quickly.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a cross sectional view showing enough of the machine as will disclose my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view.

Fig. 3 isa detail view of manually operable devices for controlling the machine.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are views similar to Fig. 3 but with the parts in a different position.

Figs. 7, 7 a, 8 and 9 are views of details.

Fig. 10 is a plan view of a modification in which the brake is controlled `manually through an electric switch.

Fig. 11 shows the neutral position. The brake is applied. Fig. 12 shows the hi h speed control in neutral position, and bangle 44:1: raised and held to hold the brake released for hand driving.

Fig. 13 shows the high speed control in high speed position with brake released. Fig. 14 shows th: high speed control in position for'driving at the intermediate speed, the brake being released.

Fig. 15 is a view of a clutch which may be used between the hand drive-shaft and the main shaft.

Fig. 16 is a detail view partly in section of the clutch of Fig. 15 associated devices.

In these drawings 6 is the main drive shaft arranged, like in said patents, low down and centrally of the machine. One of the ily wheels is shown at 6b. The cam shaft is shown at 7, driven by gearing 8, 9 from the main shaft. M is the electric motor for driving the machine at normal production speed, i. e., either high or intermediate, the shaft m of this `motor having a s rocket wheel 10l which, through a chain 11, rives the sprocket wheel 12 fixed on the ,main shaft. The current to the motor is controlled by any suitable form of switch of standard pattern, and I have indicated conventionally such a switch box at HS for high and intermediate speeds. This switch is operated by a rack bar 13 and pinion 14, the rack being operated from a rock shaft 15 having an arm 16 fixed thereon to which is connected the rod 17 which forms an extension of the rack 13. This rod is guided through a suitable bracket 18. -This control shaft 15 extends along the machine front and is operable by any one of a number of hand levers 19, one for each section or head of the machine distributed along the length of the machine, where they are within convenientvreach of the operator from any point along the machine. I

When any one of the handles 19 1s set in the position shown in Fig. 5, the machine will bedriven at normal high speed. When set in position shown in Fig. 6, the machine will be driven at intermediate speed, andI when set at neutral position, Figs. 1 and 3, the power will be cut o from the motor M and at the same time, and as a consequence to this shutting od of power from the motor, the automatic brake will operate to atonce-stop the machine, the current to the magnet being under the same control means as is the current to the motor. The form of brake that I prefer is electro-magnetic like that disclosed in said Patent No. 1,754,681, and which is so organized that when current is cut off by setting the handle 19 in neutral position,

Figs. 1 and 3, the current will be cut off also from magnet 62 of the electro-magnetic brake and the spring 70 will operate segments 66a and 66 and cause the brake band 61 to be set against the brake drum 31 for, at-once, stopping the machine. By operating the handle 19 quickly back and forth, the machine can be rapidly advanced by a succession of quick movements to approximately the desired' point, so that by thereafter performing the hand driven now to be described,

the operator can bring the machine to the exact position desired.

-The hand drive con'slsts ofthe usual hand lwheels 20 disposed at various points along the machine front .on the control shaft 21. lThere is one of these hand' wheels, as usual, for each head or section of the machine. The shaft 21 is connected with the main shaft 6 by chain and sprocket wheels 6a, 6c, 6d, so that by turning any hand wheel the main shaft will be turned over slowly and the machine operated at low speed.

We have set forth above that the machine has been brought to rest from its high speed by manipulating any one ofI the handles 19 to cut oif the power and apply the brake. Therefore means are provided' for releasing the brake prior to the operation of the hand wheels. This means consists of a rock shaft 42 extending along the machine front having a series of handles 44 attached thereto so that the shaft can .be operated from any point along the machine, or in other words, from any station or section of the machine. This shaft 42 is connected by an arm 42a and rod 42?) with a bell crank lever 43 which overlies the arm 64 of the electro-magnetic brake.

Therefore when any one of the handles 44 is lifted at any of lthe various stations along brake against the power of the spring 7U.

The handle 44 and the rock shaft 42 will be maintained in the position just mentioned to hold the brake released by any suitable detent means. As an example of such means, I

provide fixed on the shaft 42 an arm 46. This I rises at the same time that the handle 44 is lifted and is engaged by a detent 47 which maybe in the'form of a leaf spring having a detaining projection 48. This detent extends from a block 49 fixed on the shaft 15 before described, said block having also a depending arm 49a arranged parallel with the spring detent and spaced apart therefrom. When any one of the handles 44 is lifted to release the brake to permit the operation of the hand wheels, the arm 46 will get above the detent point 48 and will be maintained thereby in position to hold `the brake released, while the slowspeed is being operated by hand.

Having reached the exact point at which 'the machine is desired to set, the operator can restore the brake to hold the machine at this setting by either retracting the detent 47 away l. fro-1n the arm 46 or by exerting suflicient downward pressure on one of the/handles 44, the arm 46 may be forced down and thus released from the detent, with the result that the arm 64 of the brake will lno longer oppose the force of spring but said spring will be allowed to set the brake, and thus the machine will be held at the desired setting, which, as above described, has been attained by the use of the high speed drive,'giving the step by step action to the machine in cooperation with the setting of the automatic brake, the release thereof, and the operation of the hand drive, and if desired, the re-setting of the brake, in the order named.

If it is desired to drive the machine at high speed again, following the inspection or adjustment thereof, or from the position of the parts in Fig. 4, the handle 19 nea-rest to the Voperator is pushed by him downwardly. This lwill swing the arm 49a towards the right and also the detent 47, and thus said detent will. be disengaged'from the head 46a of the arm 46, andsaid arm Willbe free to fall, which will allow the handle 44 also to fall to normal position. The swinging of the arm 49a to/the right, i. e., by reason of depressing handle 19, will through the rod 17 close the high speed switch HS, which will supply current to the motor and also to the magnet of the electromagnetic brake for the release thereof, whereupon the high speed running of the machine will have been effected.

' If the machine is to be driven at intermediate speed, which speed is embraced within the term high speed, in a comparative sense, in respect to the low hand speed, the operator will swing the handle 19 up from its neutral position as shown in Fig. 6, instead of down, as' in the above description, and analogous actions to those mentioned will be performed.

If it is desired to employ current for energizing the magnet of the brake to release it when any one of the handles 44 is operated, in-

` stead of employing the mechanical means, as for instance, the bell crank lever 43, I may employ an. electrical switch like that for controlling the auxiliary motor and the brake in first form through arm 49m and rod 17a., operable by any one of the series of handles. 44a (like 44 first described) distributed along the machine front, so that when any one of these is-lifted, like in the case of handle 44, the switch will be closed, the magnet energized, and the brake will be released. The high speed control shaft 15 in this form has an arm 16 connected with the, high speed switch HS by a rod 17. The shaft 15 bea-rs a cam or locking disc 15a provided with a recess 15b. The detent 47m in this instance is adapted to engage a notch 426 in a disc on the shaft 4200, when any one of the handles 44m is lifted, to detain it, the other end of the detent entering the recess 15b. 1

This takes place when the high speed rock shaft 15 with its handles 19 vare in neutral lposition. When the high speed shaft is rocked to drive at high speed, the wall of the recess acts as a cam on the detent and lifts the detent, so that the high speed switch can be closed to release the brake and the handles 44m and the rock shaft 42m can return toy normal position.

If the o-perator'desires to set the brake after operating the slow speed drive, by turning .the hand wheels, so as to retain the machine in its new setting, he can do so by applying sufficient downward force 'to any one of the handles 44m and the inclined walls of the notch 42?) ywill cam the detent 47an out of engagement with the said notch andthe parts will be in the position shown in Fig. 11. Ordinarily the detent 47m will act as such butl its holding action can be overcome by exerting suilicient downward force on handle 44m. i

It will be seen from the above that I have provided means whereby the machine by a series of quick step by'step actions can be brought approximately to the desired point with the brake set and then by releasing thc brake by hand and operating a slow drive connection by hand, the machine can be brought accurately to the desired point. In performing the step by ste-p action the handle 19 is quickly moved back and forth to put on the power and release the brake, and then cut off the power and set the brake.

I may employ a clutch between the hand drive and the main shaft for turning said shaft when the hand wheels are operatedto impart the slow forward motion tothe said main shaft, said clutch allowing' the main shaft to be driven directly by the motor while the hand drive, including` the chain and sprocket connection shaft 21 and hand wheels, remain at rest. This will avoid the objections of having the hand wheels and their shaft 21 in rapid rotation, while idling speed by thel motor. Such a clutch may be like that disclosed in my patent above mentioned :#1,754,68Q and provision can be made in the present machine for reversing the Inachine with the slow speed drive, like in said patent, consisting of a shiftable key andpoperating hand lever therefor, to ,lock the shaft to the clutch body or casing, as indicated in Figs. 15 and 16, in which the clutch members are shown at a, the key atl), and the hand lever at c. VThe clutch -members a are rollers mounted in recesses of the sprocket lwheel 8. This form of clutch is well known, the purpose being that when the sprocket wheel 8 is driven by the chain the clutch members a will drive the shaft 6,\,but when the shaft 6 is driven ,by the motor the clutch rollers will slip andthe sprocket wheel will rem-ain at rest. As the clutch members a are mounted in the sprocket wheel andare so related to the shaft that they grip and turn'the shaft only when the sprocket wheel is turned forwardly it is necessary to provide means for connecting the sprocket `with the shaft when the `said wheel is reversed for driving the shaft 6 backwards and this connecting means consists of the key b as stated above, all as in the patent mentioned.

Any suitable lock as at y may be used 'for automatically locking the control rod 15 to one of the lbearing brackets y against being rotated to start they machine when the reverse drive is to be used. This modification of the apparatus is illustrated in Figs. 15 and 16.

I claim:

1. In combination in a full fashionedknitting machine, power means for driving the machine at normal speed, manually operable control means accessible to the attendant for operation at various points along the machine front for throwing the power on or off, brake means for automatically arresting the machine when the power is thrown oft' and for releasing the machine when the power is thrown on, a hand drive for the machine operable from various points along the machine front and means for releasing the brake when the hand drive is to be operated, said 1 brake releasing means being manually operable from various polnts along the machine f front, substantially as described.

2. In a full fashioned knitting machine according to claim 1, means for automatically holding the brake released during operation of the hand power drive.

3. In a full "fashioned knitting machine according t-o claim-1, means for automatically holding the brake released during operation of the hand power drive, said holding means being automatically eliminated when thel power is delivered to the power operated driving means. 1

4. A full fashioned knitting machineI according to claim 1, having means for automatically holding the brake released during operation of the hand power drive, said holding means being releasable by the operator for setting the brake when the hand drive brings the machine to the desired point.

In a full fashioned knitting machine, :a normal speed power drive, manually operable control means accessible to the operator at various points along the machine front fdr4 supplying'power to or cutting it off from said normal drive, means for operating the machine by hand accessible to the operator at various points along the machine front, a brake operating automatically for arresting the machine when power is cut off from the normal speed drive, and releasing the machine when power is supplied to said normal speed drive hand `controlled means for releasing the brake accessible to'the operator at various points along the machine,` means for automatically holding the brake released while the hand power means is operated to drive the machine, 5said holding means being released automatically by the operation of the `manually operable control means when the latter is set in position for operation of the normal speed drive. ,p

6. In a full fashioned knitting machine, a

main shaft located centrally of the lower part ing the main shaft, a brake, means for throwing .the brake on automatically when the power 1s thrown` ofi' for stopping the ma- Vchine and for releasing the brake automatically when power to drive the machine is thrown on, control means accessible to the attendant at various points along the machine for supplying power to o-r cutting it off from the power drive, and manually operable means accessible to the attendant at various points along the machine for releasing the brake to enable the machine to be driven by hand,` substantially kas described.

7,. In combination in a full fashioned knitting machine, a power operated drive, manu- -v ally operable control means for the power drive accessible to the attendant at various points along the machine, a hand drive accessible to the attendant for operation at various points along the machine front, a brake lfor automatically arresting or releasing the machine according to whether thel control means is set to cut off or deliver power to the power driving means, manually operable means accessible at various point-s along the machine for releasing the brake so that the machine may be driven by hand, a catch for hold-ing the brake released, said catch being operable from the power drive control means to restore control of the brake to said power iop drive control means or to hold the manual brake releasing means, substantially as described.

8. In combination in a full fashioned knitting machine, a main shaft disposed at the lower central part of the machine', power operated means for driving said shaft, automat-ic brake means, to arrest the machine when the power is cut of, a control rod extending along the upper front part of the machine for controlling the power to the power means and for also controlling the brake, a shaft extending along the front of the machine having hand whe-els at various points, a connection between said hand wheel shaft and the main shaft for driving the machine by hand, a manually operable rock shaft disposed along thefront of the machine with means controlled thereby for releasing the brake after said brake has set itself automatically asa consequence of operating the power control rod to throw oif the power, so that the machine then may be turned over by thel hand wheels.

9. In a full fashioned knitting machine according to claim 8, said rock shaft having handles at said various points, an arm mounted on the rock shaft, a detent to engage said arm when the shaft is turned to release the brake and means whereby said detent releases the said arm automatically when the machine is again started under ower.

10. In a full fashioned knitting machine according to claim 8, said rock shaft having handles at said various points, an arm mounted on the rock shaft, a detent to engage said arm when the shaft is turned to release the brake and means whereby said detent releases the said arm automatically when the machiney is again started under power, said power control rod being in the form of a rock shaft and said detent being moved to its holding position and its released position by the turning of said rock shaft.

11. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the brake is set automatically by a spring, and means acting in opposition to said spring under control of said manually operable brake releasing means, substantially as described.

12. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the brake is set automatically by a spring, and mechanical means operated by the said manually operable brake releasing means, neutralizes said spring for the releasel of the brake, substantially as described.

13. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the power means is an electric motor and the brake is electro-magnetic and the control means includes an electric switch for supplying current to and removing it from the motor, and said manually operable brake releasing means includes an electric switch for supplying current to andcutting it off from the electro-magnet of the brake, substantially as described.

14. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the power means is an electric motor, the brake is electro-magnetic and is set in braking osition by a spring, and the manually opera le brake releasing means includes a mechanical device for opposing the spring, substantially as described.

15. A full fashioned knitting machine comprising power means for driving the machine at normal speed, hand operated driving means, a brake which is set automatically when the power is off, and manually operable means for releasing the brake when the .machine is to .be driven vby hand power.

16. Apparatus according` to claim 15, having a detent to hold the brake released while the machine is driven by hand.

17. Apparatus according to claim 15, in which a detent automatically acts to hold the brake when released, and means for releasing the detent automatically when the machine is restored to operation by power.

18. A full fashioned knitting machine comprising power means for driving it at normal speed, hand operated drivingY means, a brake which is set automatically when the power is olf, manually operable means for releasing the brake when the machine is to be driven by hand power, means for automatically holding the brake when released by said manually operable means, said holding means being automatically withdrawn from action when power operation is resumed, and being also releasable manually from various points along the machine front.

19. In combination in a full fashioned knitting machine, means for operating the machine at normal and slow speeds, automatic brake means which arrests the machine when power is thrown off at normal speed and releases the machine when power is thrown on for normal speed, manually controlled means accessible to the operator at various points along the machine for controlling the throwing on and oil' of power from any of said points, manuallycontrolled means accessible to the operator lat various points along the machine for releasing the brake preparatory to operating the machine at slow speed, said last mentioned brake releasing means being automatically eliminated when the first mentioned manually controlled means is operated to drive the machine at normal speed.

In testimony whereof, I atliX my signature.

KENNETH I-IOWIE. 

